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Friday, August 14, 2009

Ticket Stub: Time Traveler's Wife

I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since the first little Hollywood blip slipped about it. So, in a rare display of eagerness, I was at the Friday afternoon matinee--along with about 20 other women. Ticket price: 5.25--roughly what I paid for the Starbucks balanced in my carefully-carried over-sized purse. (don't judge me)

Now, reviews have not been kind to the movie, and I can understand why. If you've read the book (which you should!), you'll quickly recognize this film as a pale shadow of a great story. Serioulsy, I spent well over 100 beautifully crafted pages working to wrap my brain around Henry's traveling. The movie blurts it out within the first 15 minutes: "I travel through time! I'm from the future!" All of a sudden, it's like George Lucas is writing the screen play. And that ain't good. There were just so many changes--some I can forgive, some I can't. Some necessary, most not. Most seem to be motivated by the need to give the film a bladder-friendly running time. But, come on. If we can get through nearly three hours of Benjamin Button, certainly Time Traveler's Wife deserved another 45 minutes or so.

But enough with the griping--here's the positive side. One, it was a lovely excuse to spend an afternoon with a dear friend--a fellow book reader who was quicker to point out the inconsistencies than I was. And if you haven't read the book, it's still a harmless bit of romantic escape. Believe me, there are worse ways to spend an afternoon than watching Eric Bana. More than that, though, there's one aspect of the story that I absolutely embrace: the life-long love between Claire and Henry.

See, Claire has loved Henry since she was a little girl--when he travels back from the future to see her (just go with it...). It makes me think about the fact that God has a mate chosen for each of us--how out there somewhere is a young woman, or even a little girl, who is destined to be the wife of one of my sons. Our lives are crafted beyond our knowledge, our days planned out before our conception. I think about my hubby, too, how very much I love him--how wrapped up I am in his life and he in mine. When I think about who I was growing up, I think I've always loved him, because he is everything that I adore--funny, sweet, honorable, a fan of John Hughes movies. Goodness, wouldn't my life have been simpler if I had simply patiently waited to turn 22 and meet him?

So, if there's a lesson from the movie (NOT the book), it might be this. Take your daughters. Let them know that God has a plan for their lives, and it's a plan worth waiting for. Take your sons (tell them you're gong to GI Joe and distract them with popcorn). Let them know that those girls they see in school are--deep down--little girls waiting for the man they love. There are worse movies. There are worse messages.

5 comments:

You know...I read the book about 2-3 years ago so I honestly didn't pick up on a ton of the inconsistancies...though I totally agree that it should've been at least 45 min longer! One of my girlfriends who was w/ me had borrowed my copy this week & read it the day & a 1/2 before the movie and she definitely picked up on them immediately & it irritated her way more than me. I was only slightly irritated but was so sucked into the love story I couldn't help but love it & blubber through the entire last 30 minutes or so! I was blubbering for sure...

It is a must read & I personally will probably end up owning a copy of the movie or will at least watch it on DVD several more times b/c a book that affects me emotionally that well & makes me reconsider the little things in life (like how glad I am that my husband is NOT a time traveler...hehehe)...but truly the relatioship between Claire & Henry & then Henry & Alba...wow, especially w/ Alba affected me hugely. I will watch & rewatch until it doesn't make me cry. Once it stops having that reaction i will have to stop watching it for a long time. :-)

So...yes, book to movie always losing it's charm and so much content...but, the love story is so beautiful I was completely sucked in... :-)

I always like the book better than the movie, with maybe the exception of the Harry Potter movies. I've never finished watching Gone With the Wind and I've read the book dozens of times. When your children reach their late teens you'll really be hit by that scary realization that they have to find and connect with that one true love who is waiting for them. My daughter has been dating a young man for about six months now and is already picking out baby names. (She's nineteen and still has three years of college left). I just keep praying, God, is this the one? Is it possible to meet your God-given soulmate at 19. My sister did. My mother-in-law did. My parents married when my mother was 16. Yet, I look at my daughter, and I think, you're just a baby . . . . then, I didn't get married until I was 30.

I adored the book and loved the movie! Yes I am a hopeless romantic and yes it was a bit confusing at times. My husband and I saw the movie together and we both left the theater crying...Claire and Henry reminded us both how deep love can be, how challenging it is to hold on during the difficult times and how in spite of those difficult times neither one of us would change a thing.